It is now not uncommon to see negative news hit the headlines and appear frequently in the mass media. For this reason, many people believe that media positivity should be encouraged and I do agree with this idea for two main reasons.
First, audiences are increasingly bombarded with negative stories and therefore, good news should be reported more often to balance out. In fact, journalism’s commitment to being the society’s watchdog is understandable, but excessive negativity in the news can be harmful. For instance, after a tragic plane crash in Malaysia was broadcast, news agencies the world over started to report similar accidents during the next months. This created collective fear for traveling by air, which consequently hurt the aviation industry despite the fact that air transport is still the safest option, with incident rates far lower than those for road and rail transport. In this way, an excessive amount of bad news caused distorted views and this is why more good news is worth reporting.
Secondly, happiness is highly contagious, hence the need for positive media coverage. Good news can inspire readers or viewers to take action, which can benefit themselves and even society as a whole. The success of Flappy Bird, a mobile game created by Dong Nguyen that caused a global sensation in 2013, has been an encouraging story. Thousands of Vietnamese app developers have subsequently tried to start their own business in order to follow in Dong Nguyen’s footsteps. Although very few of them can achieve similar success, entrepreneurship is promoted, which comes as good news for both developers themselves and the country’s economy.
In conclusion, my belief is that news agencies should dedicate more to positive news because it can create a healthy journalism balance and also spread positivity.
It is
now
not uncommon to
see
negative
news
hit the headlines and appear
frequently
in the mass media.
For this reason
,
many
people
believe that media positivity should
be encouraged
and I do
agree
with this
idea
for two main reasons.
First
, audiences are
increasingly
bombarded with
negative
stories and
therefore
,
good
news
should
be reported
more
often
to balance out. In fact, journalism’s commitment to being the society’s watchdog is understandable,
but
excessive negativity in the
news
can be harmful.
For instance
, after a tragic
plane
crash in Malaysia was broadcast,
news
agencies the world over
started
to report similar accidents during the
next
months. This created collective fear for traveling by air, which
consequently
hurt the aviation industry despite the fact that air transport is
still
the safest option, with incident rates far lower than those for road and rail transport. In this way, an excessive amount of
bad
news
caused distorted views and this is why more
good
news
is worth reporting.
Secondly
, happiness is
highly
contagious,
hence
the need for
positive
media coverage.
Good
news
can inspire readers or viewers to take action, which can benefit themselves and even society as a whole. The success of
Flappy
Bird, a mobile game created by Dong Nguyen that caused a global sensation in 2013, has been an encouraging story. Thousands of Vietnamese app developers have
subsequently
tried to
start
their
own
business in order to follow in Dong Nguyen’s footsteps. Although
very
few of them can achieve similar success, entrepreneurship
is promoted
, which
comes
as
good
news
for both developers themselves and the country’s economy.
In conclusion
, my belief is that
news
agencies should dedicate more to
positive
news
because
it can create a healthy journalism balance and
also
spread positivity.